Leather working machine



July 21, 1931. CONNOR 1,815,140

\ LEATHER WORKING 'M-ACHINE Filed July 18, 1928 2 She ets-Sheet 1 July 21, 1931. J. H. CONNOR 1,815,140

LEATHER WORKING MACHINE I Fil ed July 18, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wi 22 a 22 7' 6 D 5 i 4 2 26 HQ 30 34 a2 inven tor T -v, A L01 M Patented July 21, 1931 JOHN H. CONNOR, OF BOSTON, IEASSAOHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE TURNER TANNING MACHINERY COIEIPflNY, OF PORTLAND, IQIAINE, A CORPORATION OF ELAINE LEATHER WORKING MACHINE Application filed. July 18,

This invention relates to machines for operating upon hides, skins, leather and other similar pieces of work, and is illustrated as embodied in a machine for tanning hides and skins of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,694,447, granted Dec. 11, 1928, upon application of Matthew M. Merritt. It is to be understood, however, that the invention and various important features thereof may have other applications and uses.

In the machine disclosed in the copending application referred to, conveyor means is provided for carrying hides and skins into and out of a body of treating liquor in a tank, the conveyor means having upper and lower runs between which at one end of the tank is a drum which. turns with the conveyor means and operates to flex the hides or skins gently throughout the whole extent of each while they are being introduced into the tanning liquor, the construction and arrangement being such that undesirably vigorous or forcible bending or folding of the hides or skins is prevented during their introduction into and their removal from the treating liquor.

It is an ob ect of the invention to provide more certainly for uniform treatment of all portions of the pieces of work in the described tanning machine and to widen the range of the ma chines usefulness by providing against undesirable folding such as,-f0r example, folding in the wrong direction, of the shanks of hides or skins and of other projecting portions along'the periphery of untrimmed pieces of work. I

To these ends and in accordance with an important feature of the invention means o is provided in the illustrated machine for holding pieces of work of irregular contour in extended condition between opposite edges I thereof, the said means being so constructed and arranged as to offer no obstruction to desired mechanical treatment of the'pieces of work at the same time that they are being subjected to the action of a treating liquor. Conveniently, flexible members constitute the holding means, these members being arranged at opposite edges of each piece of Serial No. 293,532.

work and adapted to have edge portions of the piece of work attached thereto so as to maintain the work in extended condition in one direction while permitting flexing of the work throughout its entire extent. As illustrated, chains of link members constitute the flexible members, the chains being flexible in one plane to flex with the work and substantially inflexible in another plane claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation and partly in section of a machine, comprising conveyor mechanism and work supporting means, illustrating oneembodiment of the invention Fig. 2 is a section along the line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of one of the flexible elements looking in the direction of the arrows III-III in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the work supporting and positioning parts shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 illustrates another form of flexible element.

The illustrated machine, which is designed specially for tanning operations upon hides and skins, com )rises conveyor mechanism consisting of a pair of conveyor chains, one of which is shown at 6 in Fig. 1, and the other at 7 in the sectional portion of the figure. These conveyor chains mounted upon a pair of sprocket wheels 8 and a pair of sprocket wheels 10, the sprocket wheels 8 being carried by a shaft 12 to rotate therewith while each sprocket 10 is carried by its own trunnion 14 to rotate freely thereon. Fixed to the shaft 12 is a drum 16 arranged concentrically with respect to the sprockets.

8, the drum being of a considerably'less diameter than the sprockets, space being thus provided so that pieces of work 18 carried by the conveyor chains 6 and 7 may be Wrapped around the drum 16 which turns with the conveyor chains curing the operation of the machine. The drum 16 is operative for the purpose of gently flexing the pieces of work throughout their whole lengths while at the same time introducing them into the treating liquor at the bottom of a tank 20 with the requisite care, that is, without undesirably vigorous or forcible flexing or folding of the pieces of work. At the other end of the tank from the drum 16 the pieces of work are gradually lifted from the treating liquor at the bottom of the tank 20 and suspended vertically from the upper horizontal runs of the conveyor chains 6 and 7 until they are again brought into contact with the drum 16 preparatory to reimmersion in the treating liquor. For supporting the pieces of work 18, the conveyor chains are provided with slats or rods 22, each rod 22 being secured at each of its ends to a link in one of the chains 6 and 7. For a more complete description of the conveyor mechanism and its associated parts reference may be had to the copending application already referred to.

lVhile the hides or skins 18 are suspended from the upper runs of the conveyor chains 6 and '7, all portions of each hide or skin hanging from one side of the supporting rod 22 should remain hanging substantially within a single plane as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. That is, no part of the hide or skin should sag or iold upon itself and extend into two or more planes. If no means be provided for holding certain portions of each hide or skin in the plane of the body portion, they will told about a vertical line in the plane so as to project laterally or" the plane. This applies to portions such as the shanks 24 (Fig. 2) and to tabs and other portions which extend from the body por tion of an untrimmed hide or skin in a direction parallel to the supporting bar 22 and beyond points of support directly above them. Such folding of the shanks of a hide or skin and of other projecting portions is objectionable, particularly in tanning operations for the reason that, in tanning, the hide or skin becomes set in a firmer t as a result of the change in the hide or skin substance due to the absorption of the tanning materials, so that the crease or line of fold may be more or less permanently set in the tanned piece of hide or skin. Hence, means is provided in the illustrated construction for preventing any such folding of portions of the pieces of work, this means comprising flexible elements in the form of chains 26 of pivotally connected link members shown most clearly in Figs. 2 to 4, in-

elusive. Each chain 26 is secured to a rod 22 by a bolt 28 (Fig. 3) passed through an intermediate link 29 (Fig. 4) of the chain and through the corresponding bar 22, the chain 26 being arranged with substantially equal arms on each side of the bar 22. Each arm of the chain 26 is a flexible member pivoted to the link 29. Since the chains 26 are flexible they will readily yield in one plane to fold upon themselves as, for instance, while the pieces of work and the chains are passing around the drum 16. chains are flexible in one plane they are inflexible, at least substantially so, in a plane at a right angle to the first-mentioned plane,

that is they are substantially inflexible in directions crosswise-of the tank 20, so that they may be utilized as securing means for holding each piece of Work in extended condition, this being accomplished by connecting portions of each piece of work to the adjacent chain 26.

To facilitate attachment of the Work to the chains 26, certain of the links of the chains are provided with perforated extensions 30 with which may be engaged cords 82 the other ends of which are connected to clip members 34' adapted to engage with portions of the hide or skin or other piece of work 18. It is to be understood that the hide or skin is placed under tension sufficient only to hold it in extended condition so that shank portions 24, for instance, cannot told upon themselves or hang other than in the proper vertical plane, i. e. in the plane of the body portion of the hide or skin, while being suspended from the upper run of the conveyor. Furthermore, by reason of these same flexible chains, the shanks or other extended portions of the hide or skin cannot become displaced while the hide or skin or other piece of work is passing around the drum 16 or while it is being withdrawn from the treating liquor at the other end of the tank 20.

In' the form of flexible element shown in Fig. 5, the flexible member at each end of a hide or skin on the rod 22 is shown as a chain 40 connected at its upper end to a sleeve 42 by being pivoted thereto at 43, the sleeve 42 being freely rotatable on the rod 22 and kept from sliding movement lengthwise of the red by two collars 44 pinned to the rod. The chain 40 is provided with perforated extensions 46 similar in all respects to the extensions 30 on the chain 26. To these perforated extensions 46 are detachably connected cords 32 provided at their opposite ends with clips 84 for engagement with adjacent portions of a hide or skin sus pended from the rod 22. The chains 40 serve all of the useful purposes of the chains 26 since they will flex in one plane while the hide or skin is being moved around the drum 16. At the same time these chains 1 x Mann-w. MM. 7

lVhile the;

serve to retain the portions of the hide or skin in extended condition between them because of their substantial inflexibility in the plane of the hide or skin, that is in a plane at a right angle to the first-mentioned plane. In the operation of the illustrated machine, a hide or skin 18 is folded over one of the rods 22 and is secured thereto by means of a pin, although it may be secured along one edge to the rod 22 and any other suitable means may be employed for securing it to the rod. Subsequently clips 34. are applied to selected portions along the vertical edges of the hide or skin and the cords 32 attached to these clips are connected to the perforated extensions 30 of the chains 26 or to the perforated extensions 46 of the chains 40, as the case may be. In this way the hide or skin, while on the upper run of theconveyor, is placed under tension just sufiieient to keep all portions thereof, in the case of the folded hide of Fig. 2, suspended in two vertical planes one on each side of the supporting rod 22.. A hide or skin not folded over the rod 22, but suspended from the rod by being attached along one edge to the rod will be arranged by the described means to hang in one vertical plane. In other words, no portion of a hide or skin such, for instance, as a shank portion 24, is allowed to sag, since if that happened it would turn about a vertical line and cause one or more vertical lines or creases to appear in the surface adjacent to the fold or sagging portion. When all of the pieces of work have been secured'to the rods 22 and to the chains 26 or 40, the machine is started in operation with the conveyor chains 6 moving in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. During the travel of the conveyor chains, the hides or skins pile up on the drum 16 and are subsequently introduced thereby into the treating liquor at the bottom of the tank 20 while at the same time the hides or skins are gently flexed over the drum throughout their whole extent but suffer no harsh treatment in the operation. During this movement of the hides or skins they are maintained in extended condition in a direction lengthwise of the drum 16,

' that is, crosswise of the tank 20, the flexible chains offering no resistance to the proper flexing of the pieces of work. At the other end of the travel of the hides or skins 18, they are lifted from the tank and then pass along the upper run of the conveyor chains still maintained in properly extended condition.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Means for maintaining a hide or skin in extended condition between opposite edges thereof, comprising supporting means, and members connected to the supporting means in spaced relation to each other and adapted to be attached to opposite edges of a hide or skin and flexible in one plane to permit movement of portions of the hide or skin during treatment thereof and substan tially inflexible in another plane to retain the hide or skin in extended condition between the members.

2. Means for maintaining a hide or skin in extended condition between opposite edges thereof, comprising a supporting member to which a hide or skin may be attached, and members adapted to be attached to edges of a hide or skin and pivoted to the supporting member to move in one plane to permit movement of the hide or skin secured thereto with respect to the supporting member, said members being substantially immovable in another plane to maintain the piece of work in extended condition between the members.

3. Means for maintaining a hide or skin in extended condition between opposite edges thereof, comprising a supporting member from which a hide or skin may be suspended, and members connected to the supporting member and adapted to be attached to a hide or skin at opposite edges thereof, the members being flexible in one plane to permit movement of portions of the hide or skin during treatment thereof and substantially inflexible in the plane of the hide or skin to maintain it in extended condition between said members.

4. Means for maintaining a hide or skin in extended condition between opposite edges thereof, comprising supporting means, and members connected to the supporting means in spaced relation to each other and adapted to have opposite edges of a hide or skin connected thereto, each member being made up of pivoted links, and means for connecting the links of the members to selected points in the adjacent edges'of the hide or skin, said members being flexible in one plane by reason of the pivoting of the links one on another to permit flexing of the hide or skin during treatment thereof and substantially inflexi ble in the plane of the hide or skin to'maintain it in extended condition between the members.

5. Means for maintaining the hide or skin in extended condition between opposite edges thereof, comprising a supporting member, and chain members connected to the support ing member and consisting of links pivoted to move upon each other in one plane and adapted to permit relative movement of portions of a piece of work secured thereto, the

chain members being substantially inflexible in a plane at a right angle to the first-mew tioned plane to maintain the piece of work in extended condition between them.

6. -In a machine of the character described, a conveyor provided with members for supporting hides or skins, and members pivotal- "ly secured to the supporting members about axes parallel thereto, said pivoted members being located at opposite edges of a hide or skin sothat the latter may be attached to the pivoted'member s to move'therewith'while being maintained in extended condition between the two pivoted members during the travel of the conveyor.

7. In a machine of thecharacter described, a conveyor provided with supporting members to which hides or skins may be attached, and members secured to the supporting members and adapted to be attached at opposite edges of a hide or skin and to be flexible therewith while maintaining the attached hide or skin in extended condition between them during the travel of the conveyor.

8. In a machine of the character described, a tank, a conveyor constructed and arranged to carry hides or skins through treating liquor in the tank, means for flexing the hides or skins during a portion of the travel of the conveyor, and means connected to the conveyor and adapted to be secured to opposite edges of the hides or skins to maintain them in extended condition while permitting them to fiex during the selected portion of the travel of the conveyor.

9. In a machine of the character clescribed, a tank, a conveyor constructed and arranged to carry hides or skins through treating liquor in the tank, means for flexing the hides or skins during a portion of the travel of the conveyor, and members connected to the conveyor and adapted to be secured to opposite edges of the hides or skins to maintain them in extended condition while permitting them to flex during the selected portion of the travel of the conveyor.

10. In a machine of the character described, a' tank, a rotary drum at one end of the tank, a conveyor constructed and arranged to carry hides or skins around the drum to cause flexing thereof, the conveyor also moving the hides or skins through treating liquor in the tank, and members secured to the conveyor and adapted to be attached to edges of the hides or skins to maintain them in extended condition while permitting them to flex in their travel with the conveyor around the drum.

11.. In a machine of the character described, a conveyor having upper and lower runs, a tank through which the lower run of the conveyor passes, said conveyor comprising rods for the support of hides or skins, members secured to each rod at opposite edges of a hide or skin on the rod, and means for securing the adjacent edges of the hide or skin to the respective members, said members being flexible in one plane to permit the hide or skin to flex during the travel of the conveyor, and substantially inflexible in'the plane of the hide or skin so as to maintain the latter in extended condition between the member's.

12. In a machine of the character described, a conveyor having upper and lower runs, a tank through which the' lower run of the conveyor passes, said conveyor comprising rods for the' support of hides or skins, a drum Within the conveyor and ro tatable ther'ewith,-members secured to each rod at opposite edges of a hide or skin on the rod, and means for securing the ad jacent edges of the hide or skin to the respective members, said" members being flexible in one plane to permit the hides or skins to flex during their travel over the drum within the conveyor and substantially inflexible in the'plane' of the hide or skin so as to maintain the latter in extended condition between the members.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN H. CONNOR. 

